Lester looks locked in as he stings Rays

Pitching is simpler for Jon Lester this spring. The thought process is clearer, the delivery smoother and the results easy to interpret.

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By
TIM BRITTON
Posted Mar. 17, 2013 @ 5:35 pm

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Pitching is simpler for Jon Lester this spring.

The thought process is clearer, the delivery smoother and the results easy to interpret. After all, it doesn’t get much more straightforward than 18 up and 18 down.

Lester tossed six perfect innings against the Rays on Sunday, striking out six and hardly breaking a sweat in 79 pitches (53 strikes).

“I wouldn’t say it’s the best I felt, but I felt pretty good,” an upbeat Lester said after the game. “I was able to get in a good rhythm early on. I established my fastball and just kind of went from there. I had a good breaking ball today, which was good to see. All in all, it was a good day.”

Lester has had his share of good days this spring. In his five outings, he has tossed 20 innings and allowed two earned runs for an ERA of 0.90. Better yet, opposing hitters are 6-for-65 off of him (.092). His WHIP is 0.50.

Spring training results admittedly don’t mean a whole lot; what matters is how a player feels. However, with Lester they may mean more than most. This is a pitcher who went through the most difficult year of his career in 2012, and any positive reinforcement to the adjustments he’s made is significant.

“When you have some things that you’re conscious of that you’re working on and you get good results from that, it just makes that process easier. You’re able to buy into those things and see that it is working,” said Lester, who was on the other end of that spectrum last year.

“When you’re working on things and you’re adjusting and making those changes, if you’re out there and getting your butt beat in, you don’t believe in them. It’s hard to buy into them. Kind of like last year in the month of July, we were working on the same things I’m still working on now and not getting results. I had to buy into them. I had to throw the results out the window and just keep buying into them.

“Now it’s the same thing. When you’re able to work on those things and see the results and see things getting better and see the late swings on fastballs in and see the takes on breaking balls, yeah, you’re able to walk away and go, ‘This stuff is really working. This is me.’”

This sure does look more like the Jon Lester the Sox were used to seeing prior to 2012. He’s shown solid fastball command all spring. On Sunday, he located his cutter to both sides of the plate, and he threw both his changeup and curveball for strikes.

He attributes that, at least partly, to not having to worry about mechanics on the mound.

“Last year, you’re trying to feel through those things, figuring out, ‘That’s what it’s supposed to feel like. That one wasn’t.’ It was more pitch to pitch,” he explained. “Now it’s more game to game on how I feel. You don’t have that critiquing from pitch to pitch. Now I’m worried about what’s the next pitch, how do I need to execute this to get him out? It makes things a lot easier when you’re not worried about ‘Is my leg kick in the right spot? Am I staying tall? Am I staying closed? Am I driving toward the plate?’ You’ve got a checklist of 1,500 things it seems, and now you’ve got to worry about getting Evan Longoria out. That’s what makes it tough. Now, the checklist is a lot smaller, a lot easier.”

A better tempo on the mound prevents any kind of internal second-guessing as well, Lester said.

“His posture is getting better. He’s getting more angle on the ball,” said David Ross, who caught Lester on Sunday. “He will be more consistent and roll through the lineup and be a little easier, in my opinion, to get that good posture and get on a downhill plane. That’s the main thing he’s been working on.”

“Better power on his stuff,” manager John Farrell said. “He pitched with a lot of confidence and didn’t overthrow. Very sharp obviously.”

Lester has two more starts before he presumably takes the hill on Opening Day in the Bronx. (The Red Sox haven’t officially named Lester the Opening Day starter, but he’s been in line to start that game since the start of spring games.)

With the Red Sox traveling 2-1/2 hours to Dunedin to face the Blue Jays on Lester’s next turn, the lefty will instead stay back and pitch in a minor-league game.